Cash stolen from parked taxi in 11 seconds in Sapporo

A 62-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of stealing cash from a parked taxi in a matter of mere seconds in Sapporo, police said Thursday. The theft occurred just past 9 a.m. on August 27 in Chuo Ward’s Odori Park, Fuji TV reported.

According to police, the taxi driver parked his vehicle in order to use a public toilet. He did not lock the doors when he got out of the taxi. Police said the suspect, Mikio Tanaka, 62, came along, saw the driver leave the taxi and stole a bag containing 7,400 yen in cash and a briefcase in just 11 seconds.

Tanaka, who claims he has no residence, was arrested Thursday. Similar incidents have been occurring within the vicinity of the crime scene, and police are questioning Tanaka about those thefts as well.

Footage of the theft was captured by the camera mounted on the dashboard of the taxi.

Aug. 31, 2018
03:50 pm JST

Aug. 31, 2018
08:51 pm JST

I don't have a whole lot of sympathy for drivers who park illegally, especially smack in the middle of downtown.

Give him a break. He needed a toilet, there was almost no traffic and the road was plenty wide. Hard enough for a cabbie to make a living.... On top of which he has the bad luck to have one the few such thieves in Japan being the only person around at exactly that moment.

Sep. 1, 2018
12:52 am JST

Sep. 1, 2018
08:24 am JST

Sep. 1, 2018
09:54 am JST

The mother of one of my students was robbed in a similar manner. She had parked in the driveway of her friend and left her doors unlocked. When she came out a minute or two later, her bag was gone along with her wallet and all of her cards. She immediately began the process of canceling her cards, but it was too late. The thief knew what he/she had and must have raced off to the nearest cash machine and had withdrawn a few million yen.

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